never so good
by honestlydarkprincess
Summary: Bucky didn't want to be at this party in the first place. The only reason he was here was because Steve had dragged him. But then he meets this beautiful redhead and maybe this party isn't so bad, maybe he'll find everything he's ever been looking for. Bucky/Nat. Modern AU/College AU. Background Steve/Tony.


**so i wasn't drunk when i wrote this but i'm drunk when i'm posting it so editing? idk her**

**this has been sitting on my computer for years and i've finally finished i hope it's good i'm not in love with it but at the same time i am so i don't know, blame the alcohol**

**hope you like it!**

* * *

When Steve had mentioned the party Stark was throwing with his roommate to celebrate the end of finals week, Bucky had foolishly thought, only for a minute, that he wouldn't be dragged along with him.

After all, Steve knew just how awkward Bucky was on a daily basis— but at parties, oh man, it was unparalleled. He always ended up standing by himself in the corner, playing on his phone or drinking himself to oblivion, just waiting for Steve to come get him and say they could go home.

Bucky Barnes just didn't do parties.

But no, apparently Steve couldn't go on his own and Bucky had been dragged to yet another party by the hands of the man who was supposed to be his best friend.

"Steve!" Bucky whined softly, fiddling with the worn ends of his favourite hoodie. "Do we really have to go to this thing?"

"Come on, Buck! I know you don't like parties but I need some moral support here. This is Tony's party! We have to go!" Steve rambled, looking in the mirror and fiddling with his hair for like the tenth time since he'd started getting ready.

"Ugh. I know you're pining for Stark but why do I have to come along? It's not like I can be your wingman. You know how terrible I am at flirting," Bucky grumbled.

Steve did know. Bucky was an incredibly awkward flirt. Whenever he liked someone he got all flustered and shy— and that was if he was even able to go up to the person he liked in the first place. Bucky's favourite move was just to hope that the other person would approach him instead of the other way around. Unfortunately for Bucky, that didn't work out for him very often. His shyness was usually mistaken for disinterest and as such, had hardly dated the entire time they'd been away at college.

It hadn't always been like that. In high school, Bucky had been a notorious player. He never treated anyone badly and never led anyone on but he had a different date almost every weekend and never failed to be able to charm someone into going out with him.

All that had changed after he and Bucky enlisted in the army together. They'd been in the same unit— the 107th. At first, it had been good for them. They were both soldiers at heart and thrived in the military environment but that all changed the day their convoy had been bombed while transporting weapons and supplies.

Bucky's vehicle had been hit the hardest and he'd lost his left arm in the explosion. Unsurprisingly, Bucky had never been the same after that. The carefree, confident man Steve had grown up with had become shy and quiet, preferring to blend into the background whenever possible.

That wasn't to say that Steve himself hadn't changed. He had. Just like Bucky, he'd become more reserved, more private. He was still a very friendly guy but he didn't let people in like he used to. It just wasn't as easy as before. He preferred now to keep a small group of close friends but otherwise keep to himself. He focused on his art and his goal of one day becoming an elementary art teacher.

Bucky was studying to become a social worker specializing in military and veteran affairs. He'd thrown himself into his classes and that's where he'd met Sam Wilson and James Rhodes, or Rhodey, as he preferred. With Rhodey came Tony and they'd all become pretty good friends. The second Steve had met Tony, Bucky knew right away that he'd be seeing a lot more of the tiny, seemingly-always-sleep-deprived engineer.

"Bucky, please?" Steve pouted, knowing how helpless his best friend was against his pout and shamelessly using that fact to his advantage. "I'm pretty sure Sam is coming and you know Rhodey will be there; so it won't just be me there that you know."

Bucky sighed and dropped his shoulders. He'd pretty much resigned himself to going after Steve had mentioned it the first time but for the sake of his reputation, he had to at least protest a little.

"Fine, we'll go."

He turned towards his room to change, given that he was currently only wearing a hoodie and a pair of sweats, which, apparently, wasn't party attire, and ignored the pleased chuckle that left Steve's lips.

Since his back was turned, Bucky didn't see the mischievous and scheming glint in Steve's eyes.

* * *

And that's how Bucky found himself stuck leaning against the wall in the far corner of Tony's dorm room, which he shared with his best friend. Bucky hadn't been listening when Steve had told him who that was, he was too busy pouring himself a drink and trying to block out the loud music that assaulted his poor, sensitive ears.

Steve had abandoned him about half an hour ago after he'd spotted Tony, not that Bucky had been expecting any less. That left Bucky, standing alone, nursing a beer while glaring at any stranger who seemed to want to approach him.

Well, all but one.

There was a gorgeous redhead standing over by the drinks table that Bucky had found his gaze drawn to countless times since he'd noticed her. There was a vague sense of familiarity Bucky felt when he looked at her, so he must have seen her somewhere on campus before. He wanted nothing more than to go over there and talk to her but couldn't seem to bring himself to make his feet move.

It didn't really matter, as Bucky was positive he wouldn't have been able to actually hold a conversation with the woman anyway. So he resigned himself to longing from afar and looked around the room to see if he could spot Steve. Maybe they'd be able to go home before Bucky drank too much and did something foolish— like try to talk to the beautiful redhead.

Alas, he had no luck. He scanned the room again, just to make sure, and couldn't see either Steve or Tony anywhere. He saw Sam chatting up a pretty brunette from their Sociology and Rhodey was over in the corner deep in a conversation with a woman who Bucky was pretty sure was named Pepper.

Bucky's eyes gravitated back towards the woman he had been admiring and his stomach fluttered as she threw back her head in a laugh. Bucky couldn't help but stare— she was even more beautiful when she laughed. Bucky couldn't quite hear it over the loud music but he'd bet anything it was a beautiful sound. A sound he wanted to not only hear but be the cause of.

He sighed softly to himself and looked down at his cup. The amber liquid sloshed slightly as he swirled his cup in little circles. He didn't want to get drunk tonight, he had an early shift at work the next day and was in no mood to go to work hungover. He had only grabbed a drink to have something to do.

Suffice to say— he was bored.

He definitely preferred low-key gatherings of friends over loud parties where there were so many people that faces just started to blur together. He'd never be the center of the party again, that just wasn't him anymore, but he was definitely more likely to open up if he was surrounded just by close friends in a quieter atmosphere.

Bucky was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a presence next to him. He looked up, ready to glare at whoever had decided to approach him, and swallowed harshly.

The redhead, the one he'd hardly been able to take his eyes off since he first noticed her, was standing right in front of him.

"Hi," The woman said softly, with a small smile tugging at her full, red lips. Bucky's eyes flickered down to stare at them before he caught himself and he flicked his eyes back up, flushing slightly.

"H-Hey," Bucky replied a little shakily, clearing his throat.

"I'm Natasha," The woman, Natasha, said, just as softly as her greeting. Bucky was a bit surprised that he could hear her over the music but decided to just be grateful.

"Bu-James," Bucky said, wincing slightly at his awkwardness.

Natasha raised an amused eyebrow. "Bu-James?"

Bucky coughed, using his right arm to rub the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

"Well, uh, my name is James but everyone calls me Bucky. But, uh, I, um…y-you can call me James," Bucky stammered out, blushing. He reached up to fiddle with his hair then remembered he had put it in a bun, so he scratched his cheek awkwardly instead.

"Thank you, James, I'm honoured. In that case, you can call me Natalia," Natasha replied, smiling warmly at Bucky. Bucky was too busy thanking his lucky stars that Natasha didn't ask why he'd let her call her something he let almost no one call him— not that she knew that— to notice the way Natasha's eyes darkened as they took in the heady blush staining his cheeks.

He tilted his head in confusion as he registered her words.

"My name is Natalia but when my family came to America from Russia, my parents thought I should have a more American-sounding name. Most people call me Natasha, only a select few get to call me Natalia. It's…special, I guess you can say," Natasha explained, feeling a rush of warmth as a pleased grin curved at Bucky's lips.

"So, James, are you enjoying yourself?" Natasha asked, looking like she genuinely cared about his answer.

Bucky's stomach clenched as now he picked up the soft accent in Natalia's voice. He'd always had a thing for accents and Russian happened to be his favourite.

"Um, yeah, I guess?" Bucky replied, wincing slightly as it came out more like a question than a statement.

"You guess?" Natasha teased, moving a bit closer to Bucky as an obviously drunk girl stumbled a little too close to them before giggling and moving away.

"Yeah, um, parties aren't really my thing," Bucky admitted, blushing harder as his admission made Natasha chuckle lightly. However, Bucky didn't get the feeling that she was laughing at him, as he usually did whenever a stranger laughed in his presence.

"I understand that. I wouldn't say parties are really my thing either," Natasha agreed, smiling as Bucky looked at her shyly. "I saw you looking at me though and thought I'd come over and introduce myself."

Bucky groaned. "I'm so sorry, oh my god. I didn't mean to stare. You probably think I'm really creepy."

Natasha laughed. "No, actually I think you're really cute and I wanted to come say hi."

"Oh," Bucky whispered. He could practically feel the heat radiating from his cheeks he was blushing so hard. He couldn't believe that not only did this beautiful woman think he was cute but she was actually flirting with him. "I, um, thank you, I think you're cute too."

"Yeah?" Natasha smirked, a slight blush gracing her cheeks making a shiver of want go through Bucky.

"Yeah, you're really fucking gorgeous," Bucky blurted out, before wincing as he processed what he had just admitted. "Ah, I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Natasha replied, moving closer to Bucky and grabbing his hand. Bucky only felt the slightest pause from her as she realized that he was wearing a glove on his left hand before she intertwined their fingers and hummed, pleased.

Usually, Bucky hated anyone touching his left arm, even when he was wearing his glove, but for some reason, he felt completely comfortable with Natasha doing it. Which was weird given they'd only met moments ago. Bucky, however, decided not to analyze those feelings right now and instead enjoy the warmth that was radiating off Natasha's body and their close proximity.

"So, tell me, James, what are you studying?" Natasha asked, inching a little bit closer to the man. Bucky didn't really blame her, someone had turned up the music so it was even louder than before, and now he was struggling to hear her words.

"I'm—," Bucky started but was interrupted with the sound of something crashing and people yelling. He looked up and immediately started scanning the room, looking for the source of the noise and if anyone was hurt. Bucky felt Natasha tense beside him and automatically squeezed her hand slightly in comfort.

They both relaxed when they figured out the source of the noise— someone had gotten a little too drunk and had knocked into the drinks table, sending a few different bottles crashing to the floor.

Natasha groaned, "I'll deal with that later. Do you want to go somewhere quieter?"

Bucky found himself nodding before he had even fully processed her question but found he didn't care as Natasha lit up in a grin and started tugging him towards the door.

Once they were out of the room and had turned the corner into another hallway, a tension bled out of them as now the music wasn't pounding into their skulls with its obnoxious beats. They stopped and looked at each other.

"Um, sorry, I didn't really have a plan of where to go. I just wanted to leave the room," Natasha admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

Bucky huffed out a quiet laugh. "It's okay. We can go to my dorm if you want? I—I mean just to hang out! It's probably— no wait, it'll definitely be quieter than the other room. But we don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure we can just chill here in the hallway—"

Natasha cut Bucky's nervous babbling off when she once again grabbed his hand, this time not pausing in the slightest at the textured feeling of his glove. "Lead the way, James."

Bucky grinned brightly at the redhead, causing her to smile softly in response, and started leading her towards his and Steve's dorm.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the room. Bucky unlocked and opened it, holding the door open for Natasha, who grinned at his gesture as she passed.

"Uh, make yourself comfortable. You want somethin' to drink?" Bucky asked, nervously, biting his lip as Natasha made herself comfortable on his bed. His mind wandered and he thought of other scenarios in which she'd be on his bed. Preferably wearing much less clothing.

He shook himself from his thoughts and looked away, blushing. They were just going to sit and hang out. As friends. Bucky didn't want to make this weird. He didn't want her to leave. He paused slightly as he realized that he honestly didn't want her to leave— something about her was just so…inviting and comforting.

"Some water would be great actually!" Natasha replied, having been quiet for a moment as she let her eyes travel over Bucky, not that he had noticed. "Oh, do you have any Advil by chance? I have a really bad headache."

"Oh, yeah, sure! My roommate gets migraines, so we have the good stuff," Bucky said, finding the bottle of pills and grabbing a water bottle from their little fridge.

He handed them to Natasha before he sat down on the floor, leaning against Steve's bed, so he could be face to face with the redhead. He also wanted to put a little bit of distance between them as she had a very…interesting…effect on him.

"Oh? Who's your roommate?" Natasha asked curiously, twisting the bottle open and shaking out two pills. She put the cap back on and tossed back the pills, washing them down with a big gulp of water.

"Steve Rogers. He's an art major," Bucky replied as he accepted the pill bottle when Natasha handed it back to him. He placed it on Steve's side table, knowing that he'd probably need some when he got back. He always got headaches after parties. That didn't stop him from dragging Bucky to almost every party that was thrown in their dorms.

Natasha hummed consideringly, tilting her head in thought. "Is he a really big blonde guy? Really tall, kind of acts like a giant golden retriever?" Natasha asked, maneuvering herself so she was laying on her stomach, facing Bucky.

Bucky made a small strangled sound as the new position made Natasha's cleavage more prominent, making her grin. He tore his gaze away and tried to concentrate on what she'd said.

"Yeah, that's him," Bucky said, chuckling at her description of his best friend.

Natasha giggled. "I've seen him around! Not to mention the fact that my best friend is desperately in love with him."

Bucky looked up in surprise, and now it was him with his head tilted curiously. "Oh? Who's your best friend?"

"Tony Stark."

"Oh, shit, really? Tony likes Steve back?" Bucky asked, surprised and pleased. He knew that Steve was going to be ecstatic and Bucky wouldn't have to hear his pining every night.

"Yup," Natasha said, popping the P. "I don't know how they haven't realized it yet, to be honest. They're both head over heels for each other and it's incredibly obvious."

Bucky made a noise of agreement before blushing as he also hadn't realized that Tony liked Steve back.

Natasha looked at him knowingly and smirked. "Don't worry, I'm just really good at recognizing when someone is attracted to someone or has feelings for them."

"Are you now?" Bucky replied teasingly, trying to cover his blush with a cocky smirk.

Natasha just gave him a small, private smile and changed the subject. "So, you were interrupted earlier when you were going to tell me what you're studying?"

"Ah, right. I want to be a social worker specializing in military and veteran affairs," Bucky admitted softly, getting that slight far-away look in his eyes as he always did whenever he spoke of his course of study.

Natasha tilted her head. "Am I correct in guessing that you were a soldier?"

"Yes, ma'am. Steve and I enlisted together right after we graduated high-school."

"I knew it!" Natasha exclaimed. "You have that military vibe, just like Sam, Rhodey, and, well, Steve. Plus I can see your dog tags."

Bucky reached up to fiddle with said tags as soon as she'd mentioned it. He always wore them, only taking them off if he absolutely had to. They were a comforting weight against his chest and he'd grown so accustomed to them that whenever he did have to take them off, he felt like something was missing.

"Yeah," Bucky acknowledged, giving her a shy grin. "How about you?"

"I'm a dancer," Natasha admitted shyly, looking a little hesitant to open up about herself. But at Bucky's encouraging nod she continued. "I've always loved dance. My мама took me to the ballet when I was a little girl and I fell in love. I wanted to be a ballerina. But after we moved to America, I don't know, it just wasn't the same. I still love dance with all my heart, but I've decided I'd rather teach. I want to have my own little studio. A safe space where people can just come to dance, you know?"

Natasha looked up from where she had been fiddling with Bucky's bedspread when he didn't reply right away and saw him looking at her with awe and something…else. She wasn't sure what it was but it made her feel warm.

"What?" She asked, biting her lip nervously.

"N-nothing, it's just…did you know that you light up when you talk about dance?" Bucky asked, still looking at her with that awe'd expression. "You get this spark in your eyes and you can literally see the passion you have for it. It's honestly really beautiful."

Natasha blushed brightly, that was the last thing she had expected him to say. Most people she talked to about dance would listen but Natasha could always see their eyes glaze over a bit, especially when she got too into the specifics. She'd had plenty of exes who had complained that she used language they didn't understand whilst talking about dance and therefore it made the conversation boring. She could talk about dance, especially ballet, for hours and that was something non-dancers, in her experience, just didn't appreciate on the level she wanted them to.

No one had ever told her she was beautiful when she talked about her passions before. Natasha felt an overwhelming feeling course through her— something that was just too early for her to try to analyze and put a label to.

"So," Natasha started, trying to change the subject because the heat radiating off her cheeks and the look he was still giving her was just a little too much. "If Steve and Tony don't get their heads out of their asses, should we do something about it?"

Bucky knew what she was doing but let it slide, there would be plenty of other opportunities for him to tell her just how beautiful he thought she was. At least, he hoped there would be.

"I say we give them until the end of the week and if they haven't figured it out by then, we lock them in a closet."

Natasha smirked. "I like the way you think, James."

"Why thank you, Natalia," Bucky snorted, bowing dramatically and making her giggle slightly.

The scheming pair were interrupted from saying anything further by a banging sound on the door, like someone had crashed into it. Bucky and Natasha shared a look before Bucky stood up. Bucky had barely just gotten to his feet when the door opened and Steve and Tony, obviously tipsy, stumbled in.

Natasha and Bucky looked at the pair in shock as they seemed to not realize that they weren't, in fact, alone. They just continued kissing. Steve was leading Tony towards the general area of his bed and Tony let out a little moan, and Bucky knew he had to interrupt before this became even more awkward.

However, it was Natasha that beat him to it.

"Ah, well, looks like we don't have to lock you two in a closet then?" Natasha laughed. She laughed even harder as Steve and Tony sprang apart in shock, finally realizing there were other people in the room.

"Shit, um," Steve started, rubbing his neck and blushing. He looked at Tony for help but the tiny engineer had made his way over to Natasha as soon as he'd seen her. He flopped down on the bed and curled up next to her, like a sleepy kitten.

Natasha rolled her eyes but absentmindedly started to comb her fingers through the Italian's inky black locks, making him snuggle closer.

"Having fun there, Steve?" Bucky teased, his grin widening when Steve flushed even harder.

"Y-Yeah," Steve blurted out, ducking his head down and groaning. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

Tony giggled quietly from his position curled up next to Natasha. Bucky raised an eyebrow at the engineer's cuddliness, causing Natasha to explain. "He's a very tactile drunk."

Natasha checked the time on her phone and sighed. "It's getting late. I should probably go break up the party if I want to get some sleep tonight. Can I leave him here for like an hour? He's not going to be much help when he's like this anyway."

"Yeah, of course," Bucky said before Steve could answer. Steve would have said the exact same thing though so it didn't really matter.

"Thanks, James!" Natasha said, smiling brightly. "T, you're going to stay here with Steve and James until I get back, okay?"

Tony nodded sleepily and let out a small whine when Natasha detached herself so she could stand up. Steve smiled at the sound and Bucky rolled his eyes at the smitten look on his best friend.

Natasha made her way to the door before she stopped and turned around. "Wait, give me your phone. I'll put my number in so I can text you if something happens and I'll be longer than an hour."

"Good idea," Bucky grinned and handed over his phone. Mentally he sighed in relief, he had been trying to psych himself up to ask for her number since they'd gotten to his room but he hadn't quite managed. He had been getting there though.

Natasha fiddled for a moment with his phone and a second later a buzz came from her phone in her pocket. Satisfied, she handed Bucky back his phone and with one last wave to everyone, left the room.

Bucky watched her leave, knowing without even checking that he had a lovestruck expression on his face. He turned back to Steve after the door closed behind her and found him looking at him with a shit eating grin.

"What, punk?" Bucky asked, trying not to blush as he knew exactly why Steve was looking at him like that.

"James?" Steve asked, smirking.

"Oh, shut up," Bucky snarked back, losing the battle with his blush and feeling it warm his cheeks.

Steve laughed but let him be, looking over to Tony who was ignoring their bickering and dozing on Bucky's bed, still curled up like a kitten.

"Why don't you move him to your bed? He'd probably be more comfortable there anyway," Bucky teased, wiggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous manner, making Steve laugh.

"Sounds likes a plan," Steve replied, going over to gently scoop up the engineer, stopping to coo at the way Tony just curled up against his chest, before placing him on his bed.

Meanwhile, Bucky was looking down at the contact Natasha had left in his phone. Bucky knew he was grinning like an idiot but couldn't help himself as he saw 'Natalia' with a little heart beside the name.

Bucky sighed, he couldn't wait to get to know Natalia better.

* * *

Bucky was dozing when he felt his phone buzz. He'd kept it near his head so he could wake up if he fell asleep and she texted him. Bucky unlocked his phone, squinting a bit against the bright light of the screen and opened her message.

_Hey, James. I'm sorry it took me so long but I'm on my way now! These fuckers just wouldn't leave._

Bucky chuckled as he read her message. He could just imagine the frustrated pout on her face as she wrote the second sentence. He sat up from where he had been lounging on his bed and typed a quick reply.

**No worries, Nat! I'm sorry those fuckers wouldn't leave :( I'll have some tea waiting for you when you get here.**

Bucky bit his lip as he sent the text, wondering if the offer of tea was a little creepy. But before he could worry too much about it, his phone buzzed with another message.

_Oh my god, that's so sweet. Thank you, I really appreciate that. How did you know I love tea?_

_Bucky let out a sigh of relief and felt a grin tug at his lips._

**Who doesn't like tea?**

_These fuckers at the party. I'm sure if they had some tea they wouldn't have been such a pain in the ass to kick out._

Bucky let out a surprised chuckle. How was this woman even real? He could picture her expressions as she typed her messages and it didn't even occur to him that that might be weird, given how they'd only known each other for a really short period of time. Logically, Bucky knew that people didn't usually connect like this their first time meeting but he knew it was possible. From the moment he'd met Steve, he'd known that the punk would become his best friend, his brother in everything but blood.

Bucky was drawn out of his thoughts when his phone buzzed again, and he looked down to read the message.

_I'll be there in 10! I'm just going to grab some stuff for Tony to sleep in. I hope you don't mind if he crashes in your dorm for the night? I have no idea how he does it but if he's drunk and someone lets him fall asleep or doze off, there's little chance of getting him to get up and move from where he decides to sleep until he's sober and has had at least one cup of coffee in him. I'll make it up to you, promise!_

**Don't worry about it. I'm sure Steve won't mind at all, he looks ready to fall asleep himself. Are you going to sleep here too?**

Bucky finished typing his message and pressed send. He got up and puttered around the tiny little area in their room that he kept his kettle and assortment of teas. He busied himself with getting two cups out before remembering that Steve was there too. He glanced at the blonde and was about to ask him if he wanted a cup too when he realized that Steve had dozed off. He was lying flat on his back, snoring away, and honestly, how hadn't Bucky heard that before? Tony had made himself comfortable curled half on, half off, Steve's chest.

Bucky smirked and grabbed his phone to snap a picture. He couldn't wait to see the blush Steve would be sporting when he saw it. Bucky checked his messages, he should have gotten a reply from Natasha by now, unless she'd gotten distracted with something over at her dorm and wasn't on her phone.

Nothing.

Bucky quirked an eyebrow and was about to send a message asking if she was okay when his phone buzzed. However, this time it wasn't the buzz of a text message but rather the prolonged buzz of a phone call. Natasha was calling him. Bucky spent a few seconds just staring at his phone before he realized that he should probably answer.

"Hello?"

"You asking me to sleep with you, James?" Natasha's soft voice spoke directly in his ear, sending a gentle shiver through him. Then he registered what she'd said— unfortunately missing the amusement in her voice and jumped straight to panic.

"No! I mean, not no. Cause, of course, I want to sleep with you. Wait, that came out wrong. I mean sleep, like actual sleep! Not that I wouldn't be opposed to other stuff but I was talking about just sleep, honest, and oh god, I'm so sorry," Bucky fumbled, feeling himself blush hotly. "I just figured it would be easier for you to sleep here. That way you're not going back and forth. You know, just to make things easier. I can sleep on the floor if that makes you more comfortable—"

"James!" Natasha interrupted his frantic babbling and his mouth shut with a snap. "I knew what you meant, I was just teasing you."

Bucky felt himself relax at her soft, genuine tone and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "I just really like you and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable. I was just teasing, I swear," Natasha reassured. "I like your idea, honestly. This dorm is a fucking mess. Like seriously, how hard is it to throw your cub in the bin that I so graciously provided?! But noooo, apparently, people decided it was okay to just leave their shit everywhere! I'm so tired. I'm never throwing another party again. Tony can do it but I'm going far, far away, you hear me! I quit!"

Bucky tried to keep a straight face but found he couldn't. He burst out laughing as she finished her mini-rant. She was so cute when she was being dramatic.

"I'm sorry people are shit heads. I'll come over tomorrow and help you clean up but for now, just grab some pj's and you can sleep here. Tony and Steve already fell asleep, so you'll be able to go straight to sleep."

There was a long pause as Natasha didn't reply and Bucky grew confused. Had he said something wrong?

"Natalia?"

"Sorry, I'm here. It's just, ugh, you're so sweet. Thank you, honestly, you're a lifesaver right now, James," Natasha breathed, appreciation and gratitude obvious in her voice.

"Anytime, doll," Bucky grinned, not even realizing his use of the pet name. "Are you still going to want some tea or should I make it in the morning instead?"

"I'd love some tea but don't worry about it, I can go without it tonight! You probably want to get some sleep too," Natasha replied. She, on the other hand, had absolutely noticed his use of the endearment. "I'm just locking up here and I should be there in like five minutes. And actually five minutes this time. Apparently, I'm not very good with time estimation at this hour."

Bucky snorted. "You're acting like this is putting me out in some big way. Waiting up and making tea for a beautiful girl is definitely not putting me out."

"You think I'm beautiful?" Natasha teased, although there was a slight waver to her voice. She cleared her throat and tried not to show just how much his sincere words affected her. "I'll see you in a few minutes, James, I'm just leaving."

Bucky said okay and Natasha hung up. She stared at her phone for a few seconds before she shook herself out of it, making her way down the hall towards Bucky and Steve's room.

She was beyond used to people complimenting her looks. Generally, it was the first thing people complimented her on or commented on. She was used to it…but something felt different when James said it. She felt like he didn't just think her body was beautiful but that she herself was beautiful. She couldn't help the bright smile that tugged at her lips and, not for the first time tonight, she thanked her lucky stars that she had actually gone up to James tonight.

She had a good feeling about this. This felt special.

* * *

It took Natasha longer than a few minutes to get to Bucky's room because she'd been stopped by a drunk frat guy in the hallway. It had taken a few treats and one well placed punch to the balls to get him to leave her alone. Suffice to say, when she finally did arrive at Bucky's room, she was beyond tired and oh so ready to sleep.

She knocked gently before letting herself in. The main lights were off, the only light coming from a lamp on Bucky's bedside table, creating a warm glow. The sound of soft snoring was coming from Steve's side of the room.

Bucky was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall with a book in his lap. He looked up when she entered and offered her a soft, shy smile. Natasha felt the tension from the encounter with the frat guy melt away at the sight of his smile.

Ugh, what was he doing to her?

"Hey," Bucky whispered, setting his book down on the nightstand and gracefully maneuvering himself off the bed. He headed towards the mugs of tea he had prepared, pouring a little extra hot water in them to heat them up, and handed one to Natasha.

"Thank you," She said softly, grasping the mug in both hands and inhaling the sweet scent of the fruity tea he had chosen.

"Anytime," He said back, just as softly.

They sat in comfortable silence, sipping their tea and enjoying the easy atmosphere, the sound of Tony and Steve's light snores in the background.

When they had finished their drinks, Bucky took their mugs and put them on the counter, he'd deal with them tomorrow. "You ready to sleep?"  
"Yeah," Natasha replied, yawning slightly. "I guess there's no point in waking Tony up to change into the clothes I brought him," Natasha rolled her eyes fondly. "I'll just let him sleep like that. He seems comfortable and he's fallen asleep in worse clothes, so he'll be fine."

Bucky just grinned in response, the fond affection in Natasha's voice sounded exactly like when he talked about Steve.

"Do you want to get changed? I'll turn around to give you some privacy," Bucky said, a slight flush on his cheeks.

"Thanks, James," Natasha said, picking up her backpack that she had dropped when she arrived. Rooting through the bag, Natasha looked for the clothes she'd put in there for herself after getting Tony's. But as she continued to look, she couldn't find them.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked when she let out a sigh.

"I packed Tony's clothes but I forgot mine. I swear I had them ready but I guess I forgot to put them into the bag," Natasha groaned, muttering a few swears in Russian. "I would just wear Tony's clothes but he's smaller than I am."

"You can borrow some of mine?" Bucky suggested, flushing hotly at the thought of her in his clothes. No, this was just to help out Nat. There was nothing else behind it. Nothing. Bucky cleared his throat. "They'll be too big on you but that's better than too small."

"Thank you," Natasha said softly, similarly affected by the thought of wearing his clothes. "I appreciate it."

Bucky just smiled in response and went to fish out some sweatpants and a t-shirt for her to change into. Natasha accepted the clothes gratefully. Bucky turned around quickly when Natasha went to take off her shirt, getting a glimpse of black lace and wishing he _hadn't_ because _holy shit_.

"Finished," Natasha whispered, fully clothed once again. Bucky turned, half hoping she was lying but mostly hoping she wasn't. He didn't think he could handle a naked or semi-naked Natasha right now.

Bucky cleared his throat again, forcibly reminding himself that now was not the time. "Uh, so I'll take the floor and you can have the bed."

Bucky reached over to grab the smaller pillow, intending to also grab the light throw blanket at the end of the bed when Natasha put her hand on his arm.

"James, we can share. I know the bed isn't that big but if you want to, we can share. I don't want you to sleep on the floor of your own room," Natasha said shyly, knowing that this might be pushing it a little bit but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know what it was like to fall asleep wrapped up in his arms. Not to mention it felt like a shitty thing to do to make him sleep on the floor when it was his own room. It did warm her heart that he had offered, the fact that he'd give up his bed and sleep on the floor just because it might make her more comfortable meant a lot to her.

"I— are you sure?" Bucky asked, looking hopeful yet unsure. Ideally, they'd share the bed, god did he want to fall asleep cuddled with her, but if it made her even the slightest bit uncomfortable, Bucky would be on the floor in a heartbeat.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay." Bucky moved the pillow back up to the bed and climbed in, putting himself between the cold wall and Natasha, so she wouldn't have to sleep boxed in with a cold wall at her back. He pulled back the covers invitingly and Natasha smiled as she turned off the light, climbing into bed after him.

She took a moment to get situated but finally settled curled up against his chest, her head tucked into the crook of his neck.

Hesitantly, still not wanting to overstep any boundaries, Bucky wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back in a soothing motion. Natasha hummed contently, snuggling a little deeper against him.

Natasha didn't mean to fall asleep so fast but Bucky was so warm, his chest solid and comfortable underneath her cheek. She fell asleep content and hopeful. This felt like the start of something amazing.

As for Bucky, well, he felt the exact same way. He had never slept so good.

* * *

**thanks for reading - ily all**


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